Vibrator



y 1964 E. F. PETERSON 3,134,272

VIBRATOR Original Filed Aug. 28, 1959 INVENTOR. E. F. PETERSON ATTORNEY 3,134,272 7 VIBRATOR Edwin F. Peterson, Martin Engineering Co.,

Neponset, Ill. Original application Aug. 28, 1959, Ser. No. 836,768, now Patent No. 3,076,346, dated Feb. 1963. Divided and this application Jan. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 85,652

3 Claims. (Cl. 74-606) I This invention, the application for which is a division of copending application Ser. No. 836,768, filed August 28, 1959, new Patent No. 3,076,346, relates to improvements invibrators of the type used in creating vibratory forces in objects, structures and the like containing or associated with fluent materials.

A typical vibrator of the general class referred to comprises a supporting housing in which a weight is rotated at a selected speed to create forces which are transmitted to the object or structure to which the vibrator is attached. Because of the extremely high forces developed, it is desirable that the vibrator be sturdily but inexpensively constructed and that the assembled components thereof be so related as to premit of a substantial degree of precision in manufacture. Another desirable object is thatthe vibrator be substantially free from operational difficulties and structural failures. Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved vibrator and primarily to provide an improved vibrator housing structure. It is a feature of the invention to provide a vibrator housing in the form of a fabricated structure of relatively light sheet metal comprising a pair of complementary shell-like halves having marginal or peripheral flanges abutted and welded together to form the housing, opposite wallsof the housing having coaxial apertures therein for carrying supports for the vibrator mechanism. It is a further object of the invention to construct the housing in such manner as to improve the means whereby the vibrator is attached to the object or structureto be vibrated. Another object of the invention resides in a different form of vibrator in which the structure is, such that the vibrator housing may be attached to the face of an objector structure to be vibrated. A still further object resides in improved means for mounting the vibrator on the object or structure.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention will become apparent as preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in detail in the ensuing description and the accompanying sheet of drawings, the several figures of which are described below.

FIGURE 1 is a persepective of one form of vibrator.

FIGURE 2 is a section through the structure of FIG- URE 1, drawn to a larger scale.

The vibrator comprises basically a housing 10 made up of a pair of complementary shell-like halves 12 and 14. The shell or half 12 has an outer side wall 16 and peripheral or marginal flange portions 18 which extend inwardly from and generally normal to the plane of the wall 16. The outer shell 14 has a similar outer wall 20 and marginal flange portions 22. The two halves may be regarded as symmetrical at opposite sides of a median plane represented by the junction at 24 at which the inner terminal edges of the flange portions 18 and 22 abut. The two halves are rigidly secured by welding along this junction at the median plane at 24. The halves are of relatively light-weight sheet metal of sufiicient strength and rigidity to provide the desirable qualities of strength, rigidity and economy. Before assembly, each half is notched at an upper peripheral portion thereof so that the two notched portions cooperate to afford an access opening 26 which is normally closed by a removable cover 28 having removable fasteners 30. Upper apertures in the respective halves carry spools or sleeves 32 by means of which the welded to the wall 16 about the opening 38 at 46. 'Weld 3,134,272 Patented May 26, 1964 opposite legs of a bail 34 may be received to provide a handle for carrying the vibrator. Opposite ends of the legs are threaded to receive nuts 36 for securing the handle in place.

The outer walls 16 and 20 are provided respectively with coaxial apertures 38 and 40, and these apertures are instrumental in carrying vibrator mechanism which ineludes supports or carriers 42 and 44 received respectively in the openings 38 and 40. The carrier or support 42 is ing at 48 is similarly employed to rigidly secure the other carrier 44 in place in its opening 40 in the wall 20. The supports includeanti-friction bearings 50 and 52 and these bearings carry a coaxial hollow shaft 54 which receive the output shaft 56.0f any suitable driving source, here shown as a pneumatic motor 58. The shaft has secured thereto for rotation therewith an arm which mounts a vibrator weight 60. As the shaft is' rotated, the weight swings about the axis of the shaft within the compartment formed by the housing.

For the purpose of affording additional strength in the housing, each of the Walls 16 and 20 is doubled by the mounting thereon of a dished member. The member for the wall'16 is shown at 62 and comprises a central portion m 64 spaced outwardly from the wall 16 and a peripheral portion 66 welded to the outer face'of the wall 16 at 68. The

member 62 has a central aperture 70 coaxial with the open-.

ing 38 in the wall 16, and this aperture additionaly receives the support or carrier 42. The member 62 has its opening closed by a cap 72 which may be welded .or

additional ring-like member 84 is secured as by bolts 86.

to the dished member 76 and is apertured at 88 to permit receipt of the inner part of the motor 58. A lubricant supply passage 90 is provided in the ring 84 to enable the supply of lubricant to the proximate bearing 52.

The housing is so shaped as to provide opposite corners, one of which clearly appears at 92 and the other of which will be obvious from the fact that the housing is symmetrical from end to end at its bottom. Each corner 92 has a mounting portion which is formed of associated inturned parts 94 of the bottom flange portions 18 and 22 and the housing is angled at this portion so that the parts 94 afford a mounting pad for a mounting element 96. This element is welded to the mounting pad thus provided along junctions represented by the lead line from the numeral 92 and the further junction at 98. As best shown in FIGURE 2, each mounting element 96 provides means whereby the vibrator may be mounted on an object or structure to be vibrated, and to this end provides a pair of legs 100 and 102 which are spaced apart to aiford a gap 104 therebetween. The leg 100 has an opening or bore 106 therethrough and is further provided at its inner face with a coaxial recess 108. The purpose of the recess is to receive in part a hardened insert 110 which is internally tapped to receive a cap screw 112 which is passed through the opening 106 and threaded into the tapped bore of the insert. This secures the insert in place. 7

legs 100 and 102, in the cap 104, the cap screw 116 may be tightened to secure the vibrator rigidly in place.

Because of the welded fabrication of the housing, the housing is compact and may be inexpensively constructed. Yet, it is expected to have extremely long life, especially because of the double-Wall structure provided at 16--62 and 20-76. Further, the improved mounting of the elements 96 assures that adequate surface for welding is provided along the junctions 92 and 98 as previously described. This reduces the overall cost of the vibrator, both as to original cost and maintenance and afiords an extremely desirable and highly commercially acceptable product.

Features in addition to those outlined herein will be readily recognized by those versed in the art, as will many modifications and alterations in preferred embodiments disclosed, all of which may be achieved Without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A vibrator of the class described, comprising: a housing fabricated of relatively light steel plate and including relatively closely spaced apart parallel upright side Walls and a peripheral wall joining said side walls, said housing being made up of a pair of substantially narrow complementary shell-like halves, each having the respective side wall and flanges integral with said side Wall and directed inwardly to coplanar inner terminal edges to comprise approximately one-half of said peripheral wall, said halves when assembled forming said housing and the flanges of one half meeeting the flanges of the other half with said inner terminal edges meeting at a comparatively externally smooth welded junction in the median plane of the housing to establish said peripheral wall, said side walls respectively having apertures therein coaxial on an axis normal to said side walls; vibrator mechanism within the housing and including a shaft bridging the side Walls on said axis and a pair of coaxially spaced annular supports of lesser diameter than the peripheral wall and respectively received in and rigidly secured to the side walls about the respective apertures, each support having an interior portion projecting axially inwardly from its side Wall and an outward portion projecting. axially outwardly beyond its side wall, said interior portions being closely axially spaced apart, and weight means rotatable about said axis in an orbit between the interior portions of the supports and the interior of said peripheral wall, said weight means being connected to the shaft intermediate said interior portions;

and a pair of dished outer members, one at and coaxially outwardly of each side wall, each member having a central portion spaced outwardly from its side wall and rigidly secured to the respective outward support portion and each member having a peripheral portion converged inwardly as respects its side wall and rigidly secured to its said side Wall to aflord at said side of the housing a double-Walled structure axially bridged and strengthened by securement thereof to the respective support.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: each support is of cylindrical tubular section and said side walls are correspondingly circularly apertured; each dished. member has a correspondingly circular aperture therein receiving and closely fitting the respective support portion; an outer closure element overlies one dished member to close its aperture and is rigidly secured to said one dished member; and an outer motor mount element is coaxially rigidly secured to the other dished member and has an opening therein coaxial with the aperture in said other dished member.

3. The invention defined in claim 2, in which: each element has lubricant passage means therein leading to t 1e interior of the respective support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 86,484 Winkler Feb. 2, 1869 431,485 Rowland July 1, 1890 1,017,840 Amet Feb. 20, 1920 1,412,961 Periolat Apr. 18, 1922' 1,589,085 Anderson et al June 15, 1926 1,794,432 Yonkese Mar. 3, 1931 2,013,235 Collins Sept. 3, 1935 2,059,754 Shaler Nov. 3, 1936 2,144,382 Lincoln et al. Jan. 17, 1939- 2,278,839 Douglass Apr. 7, 1942 2,510,680 Byrnes Oct. 13, 1948 2,563,680 Hofiman Aug. 7, 1951 2,628,806 OBrien Feb. 17, 1953 2,644,658 Reed July 7, 1953 2,706,566 Friedhv et al. Apr. 19, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 843,943 Germany July 14, 1952 1,162,849 France Apr. 14, 1958 

1. A VIBRATOR OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, COMPRISING: A HOUSING FABRICATED OF RELATIVELY LIGHT STEEL PLATE AND INCLUDING RELATIVELY CLOSELY SPACED APART PARALLEL UPRIGHT SIDE WALLS AND A PERIPHERAL WALL JOINING SAID SIDE WALLS, SAID HOUSING BEING MADE UP OF A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY NARROW COMPLEMENTARY SHELL-LIKE HALVES, EACH HAVING THE RESPECTIVE SIDE WALL AND FLANGES INTEGRAL WITH SAID SIDE WALLS AND DIRECTED INWARDLY TO COPLANAR INNER TERMINAL EDGES TO COMPRISE APPROXIMATELY ONE-HALF OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID HALVES WHEN ASSEMBLED FORMING SAID HOUSING AND THE FLANGES OF ONE HALF MEETING THE FLANGES OF THE OTHER HALF WITH SAID INNER TERMINAL EDGES MEETING AT A COMPARATIVELY EXTERNALLY SMOOTH WELDED JUNCTION IN THE MEDIAN PLANE OF THE HOUSING TO ESTABLISH SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID SIDE WALLS RESPECTIVELY HAVING APERTURES THEREIN COAXIAL ON AN AXIS NORMAL TO SAID SIDE WALLS; VIBRATOR MECHANISM WITHIN THE HOUSING AND INCLUDING A SHAFT BRIDGING THE SIDE WALLS ON SAID AXIS AND A PAIR OF COAXIALLY SPACED ANNULAR SUPPORTS OF LESSER DIAMETER THAN THE PERIPHERAL WALL AND RESPECTIVELY RECEIVED IN AND RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE SIDE WALLS ABOUT THE RESPECTIVE APERTURES, EACH SUPPORT HAVING AN INTERIOR PORTION PROJECTING AXIALLY INWARDLY FROM ITS SIDE WALL AND AN OUTWARD PORTION PROJECTING AXIALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND ITS SIDE WALL, SAID INTERIOR PORTIONS BEING CLOSELY AXIALLY SPACED APART, AND WEIGHT MEANS ROTATABLE ABOUT SAID AXIS IN AN ORBIT BETWEEN THE INTERIOR PORTIONS OF THE SUPPORTS AND THE INTERIOR OF SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID WEIGHT MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO THE SHAFT INTERMEDIATE SAID INTERIOR PORTIONS; AND A PAIR OF DISHED OUTER MEMBERS, ONE AT AND COAXIALLY OUTWARDLY OF EACH SIDE WALL, EACH MEMBER HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION SPACED OUTWARDLY FROM ITS SIDE WALL AND RIGIDLY SECURED TO THE RESPECTIVE OUTWARD SUPPORT PORTION AND EACH MEMBER HAVING A PERIPHERAL PORTION CONVERGED INWARDLY AS RESPECTS ITS SIDE WALL AND RIGIDLY SECURED TO ITS SAID SIDE WALL TO AFFORD AT SAID SIDE OF THE HOUSING A DOUBLE-WALLED STRUCTURE AXIALLY BRIDGED AND STRENGTHENED BY SECUREMENT THEREOF TO THE RESPECTIVE SUPPORT. 